Darkness Falling
by Kieran-Prince
Summary: Takes place post-Platinum. The night of the new moon has come and New Moon island is soon disrupted with a battle between life and death.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everybody :D. This is yet another series that I'm adding to my ever-growing list of stories to finish. (I really need to complete those stories...). But this is yet another story that isn't a romance. The relationship between Darkrai and Zorua in the story is similar to the relationship between Leafeon and Glaceon in Frozen Petals (or Frozen Leaves. Can't remember what I called it cause I changed the title before uploading the story onto FanFiction.). But throughout the story, the relationship will deepen into a father-son bond (although Darkrai and Zorua aren't related in the story). But anyway, this story takes place post-Platinum. Therefore, there will be some spoilers to what happened in the game after the climax to the storyline. Anyway, hope you enjoy. (And thanks for reading this. If you read this, then you're awesome. And if you didn't you still are awesome :D )**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, the games, the characters, or the locations mentioned in the story.**

Today was the night of the new moon and Darkrai was preparing for his nightly training. Every month when the new moon appeared, Darkrai always spent the entire night honing his fighting abilities since his power always increased at night and it increased substantially during the new moon. However, with such power, there were several people and Pokemon who wanted his it for themselves. Over the past year or so, it had become so bad that he couldn't even go to Canalave City without some trainer trying to capture him. He often would teleport over to the old motel next to the Pokemon Center so that he could send certain humans dreams or nightmares, depending on the person's personality. But after some trainer had found a old key to the motel and opened it, he found that he couldn't even materialize in the building without being seen by some tourist wanting to take pictures of him. His own home was even starting to become some sort of trainer's haven, a new trainer showing up EVERY SINGLE DAY. And to make it worse, the trainers that came to the island were inexperienced, so much so that even a level 5 Bidoof could probably defeat their Pokemon easily. To say that it was starting to get on Darkrai's nerves was an understatement.

Darkrai was moving through the forest, making sure to secure the perimeter before he would make his way to the forest clearing. He was just about to finish his patrol around the island edge when a strange scent reached his nose. He stopped cold, looking through the trees and brush. He could tell by the pheromones surrounding the area that he was dealing with a Pokemon and not another trainer. Of course, that confused Darkrai, since his island was well out in the middle of the ocean so it was basically impossible for any type of Pokemon- except for flying and water type Pokemon of course- to reach his island without some form of transportation.

But that wasn't the only that confused Darkrai. The scent was also slightly different than what he was used to smelling. He could easily tell whatever Pokemon is was, it wasn't from the Sinnoh region. But he had also ran into Pokemon from Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn as well and this particular Pokemon didn't carry any of those scents either. He did know that there were other regions somewhere in the world but he had never actually seen any of those Pokemon before.

"Such a nuisance….," Darkrai muttered under his breath.

Darkrai decided that it was quicker to search the island by flying so he drew his legs into his body and took off. The woods around him passed by quickly but his eyes could easily pick out anything that didn't belong in this forest since he had lived here for several years. Within a couple of minutes, he was on the other side of the island where he landed gracefully. He sighed in annoyance and he spotted a ship anchored on the dock. However, the ship didn't look like the ship that normally came by the island from Canalave City. Instead, this ship was a turquoise color with white bordering the edges.

The door to the ship opened and about twenty to thirty people piled out. They all looked alike, each of them have sea green hair in a bowl cut. They had on some kind of space suits and they all had the exact same expression on their faces. After all the clones left the ship, two other people followed close behind. These people had on the space suits too, but their hair was much different. Both were women, one had short red hair and the other had long purple hair tied in some weird fashion. The women led the clones off of the dock and onto the island, causing Darkrai to bubble in anger. The space clones were trespassing onto his territory and what made it worse was that they were walking in a way that seemed like they owned the island.

"Now Team Galactic members, remember your mission for today. Tonight is the night of the new moon. Therefore, Darkrai shall be making an appearance in the middle of the island come nightfall. We must capture it and take it back to our headquarters so that we can find a way to get Master Cyrus back into our world. Is that clear?" the red-haired woman commanded loudly.

"YES MA'AM!" the clones shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Will you idiots stop your shouting! You will alert Darkrai of our arrival!" the purple-haired woman whispered out harshly.

"Oh shut up Jupiter! You always think you're in charge, don't you?" the red-haired woman snapped.

The woman dubbed as Jupiter rolled her eyes and said, "No Mars, I just think that for a Galactic commander, you don't possess the mind to command a large amount of grunts like our Master Cyrus."

Mars was about to start a fight with Jupiter when one of the grunts stepped in the middle. "Wait! We shouldn't be fighting right now commanders. If you two lose your focus, we may end up losing the battle against Darkrai."

The two woman scowled at the grunt and pushed him away. Mars brushed her dress down and fixed her hair before signaling everyone to follow behind her. The grunts all followed her eagerly while Jupiter rolled her eyes again and walked behind everyone else.

Darkrai stayed in his hiding place for a couple more minutes before he moved onto the dock. The ship was poorly anchored to the dock and with a simple flick of his wrist, he could easily untie the ship from it post on the dock and send it out to sea. He looked inside of the ship, making sure there weren't any grunts stored away before he moved away.

The sound of something shuffling in the bushes right behind him caused him to look back. The leaves on the bushes were shaking lightly and the scent that he had smelt from earlier was stronger than ever now. He stood still for a couple of seconds until he saw movement in the bushes again. Sticking his hand out, Darkrai used Dark Pulse on the bushes. The attack went straight through the bushes but no other movement occurred.

Darkrai sighed and observed the area around him before he headed back into the forest. He walked through the woods, looking out for the Pokemon and the Team Galactic crooks if either of them decided to attack. He was about to head to the clearing when something whizzed overhead. He ducked down and looked up to see two Galactic grunts standing in the distance.

"Go Glameow! Slash attack!" one of the grunts shouted.

Darkrai cursed and turned around to face the Glameow. He stared deep into its eyes and used Hypnosis. The Glameow slowed down until it collapsed in a heap. Soft snores echoed throughout the forest and one of the grunts cursed out loud before he called back his Glameow. The other grunt sent out his Golbat and commanded it to tackle Darkrai. The Golbat glared at him before it rushed forward. Darkrai rolled his eyes before he used Hypnosis again, causing Golbat to fall into a deep sleep just like the Glameow. The other grunt threw out his Pokeball, returning Golbat back into its ball.

Darkrai smirked and locked gazes with both Galactic grunts. The grunts jumped in fear before they ran towards the forest clearing. He watched as they disappeared in the distance and he chuckled in amusement. He never understood how some trainers thought they were invincible just because they had a couple of Pokemon in their arsenal.

He turned around only to freeze in surprise. Standing right in front of him was some sort of black fox. And judging by its size, it looked to be just a cub. Its baby blue eyes were large, taking up about half of its face. It's black fur was tipped with splashes of red on the top of its head, the bottoms of its paws, his eyelids, and two spots in-between its eyes. Darkrai continued to stare at the cub suspiciously before it yipped innocently. Darkrai's eyes widened before he bent down to pet the fox softly.

The fox tilted its head in confusion, causing Darkrai to smile unconsciously. He could easily admit the fox was kind of cute, for a cub. He reached down to pick up the fox and chuckled as the fox sniffed his hand before butting his head into his hand. Darkrai petted the cub again, smiling wider as a soft purr reached his ears. He bent down and looked into the fox's eyes.

"So, what's your name cub?" Darkrai asked softly.

"Zorua…," the fox whispered out shyly.

Darkrai searched through his mind, trying to remember if he had ever actually met any kind of Pokemon called Zorua. When nothing came to mind, Darkrai looked back down at Zorua in suspicion. A familiar scent reached his nose and he breathed in deeply. His eyes snapped open and he looked down at the cub in surprise. His eyes narrowed and he backed up from the fox.

"How did you get on this island?" He asked suspiciously.

Zorua looked up at Darkrai with wide eyes. "I don't know. I was at home with my mother and father when some weird people just took me away. They gave me some other people and I fell asleep then. I just woke up on some boat and then I found myself being dragged off onto the island and chased by some weird Pokemon into the woods," the fox said.

Darkrai saw movement out of the corner of his eyes and turned around. He narrowed his eyes as he saw two Pokemon watching them closely. He cursed in his mind and picked the fox up quickly. The moment he moved, several attacks bombarded the two Pokemon. Darkrai threw out a couple of Dark Pulse, most of them deflecting the other attacks that were aimed towards the two Pokemon. One particular attack came too close to Zorua and, on instinct alone, Darkrai let out Dark Void and a large explosion went off. The two dark Pokemon flew back several feet until they hit a stone wall, knocking Zorua unconscious while Darkrai coughed loudly.

Darkrai looked up just in time to see a Glameow coming towards him. Wrapping his arm around the cub, Darkrai teleported away from the area. He opened his eyes once the area around him settled down. Judging by the surroundings, Darkrai concluded that he was near the center of the island. Looking up into the sky, he noticed a cloud of smoke hanging low in the sky. The trees on the far side of the island were also smoking, some of the leaves burnt. Cursing inside his head, Darkrai looked around him and sighed in relief as he saw a cave nearby. He flew over to the cave and moved inside. He continued to go deeper into the cave until barely any light was shining inside. He gently placed Zorua on the cave floor and lowered himself down. He moved so that he was in front of the cub, blocking any gazes that may be aimed towards Zorua. Making sure to put up a barrier, Darkrai slumped in exhaustion and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Darkrai's eyes fluttered as he woke up from his sleep. His eyes opened slowly before they closed again. Drowsy, he moved his hand up to rub the sleep out of his eyes before sitting up. Looking around, he recognized the cave he was in and immediately started thinking of escape routes that the humans either couldn't reach or that were too far away from the direction they were heading off to. Of course, he could also teleport to any part of the island but that often took too much of his energy and he needed all of power to prepare for the upcoming battle that he knew was going to happen.

He looked down to see Zorua still asleep where he left him. The cub was breathing softly, his nose twitching every so often. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Looking through the entrance of the cave, Darkrai saw that the coast was clear. His instincts also let him know that both the humans and the Pokemon that trespassed on his island were nowhere nearby. He knew that it wouldn't stay that way for long as long as Team Galactic continued to search for him.

Kneeling down, Darkrai shook Zorua awake. The cub curled into a ball and moved away from his hand. Smiling slightly, he picked up the cub and scratched him behind his ears. The fox twitched before he started to squirm in Darkrai's grasp.

"Time to wake up cub. We need to get moving now," Darkrai said.

Zorua moaned out a sound of disagreement and tried to wiggle out of Darkrai's grip again, only to squeal in surprise when Darkrai pulled his tail. The cub jumped out of the other's tight grasp and fell to the ground in a heap. He curled into a ball and nursed his sore tail. Zorua glared at Darkrai while he smoothed furs on his tail down. Darkrai stared right back at the cub.

Darkrai heard the sound of a twig snapping in the distance. He looked up and saw nobody hanging outside the cave entrance. He narrowed his eyes and trained his ears to pick up on any slight sounds. After a couple of seconds of concentration, he heard the sound of somebody breathing about a few yards away. Cursing, Darkrai picked up the cub and teleported out of the cave.

Zorua felt his head spin as he was suddenly picked up and teleported out of the cave. The two finally came to a stop and Darkrai floated down to the ground. Once he touched down on the ground, Darkrai let Zorua out of his arms. The cub staggered and fell to the ground as his dizzy spell still hung over his head. Darkrai rolled his eyes and scanned the area.

"There isn't anybody nearby. This area will do for now," Darkrai thought out loud.

Zorua looked over at Darkrai once the world around him stopped spinning. His eyes were drooping slightly and he stared at Darkrai in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" the cub asked.

Darkrai spared a glance at Zorua before he turned back to watch the woods closely. "We will need a place to collect our thoughts for the moment. This place is far away from the humans and their Pokemon."

The cub observed at Darkrai set up barriers around them. He shivered as Darkrai's power washed over him and sat in awe as he watched the older Pokemon set up the rest of the barriers with ease.

"How come you're so powerful?" Zorua asked innocently.

Darkrai stilled and looked back at Zorua incredulously. "You don't know?" he asked.

Zorua shook his head and continued to look at Darkrai innocently. Darkrai looked at the cub curiously before smiling. He finished up with the barriers quickly and moved over to the young fox. Zorua cuddled up with him and stared up at him with wide eyes. Darkrai looked down when he felt eyes staring at him and he looked at the cub in amusement.

"Can I help you?" Darkrai asked, barely able to keep his laughter inside.

Zorua nodded his head and crawled into Darkrai's lap. "Well, it sounded like you were going to tell me a story about why you're so powerful. So, tell me a story," the cub said sweetly.

Darkrai chuckled and shook his head. "Well, it's not much of a story cub. It's just fact," he stated.

Zorua burrowed deeper into Darkrai's lap and looked up at his with expectant eyes. Darkrai laughed, scratching the cub behind his ears. Zorua's hind leg twitched slightly and the cub moved his head closer to Darkrai's hand.

The two froze as they heard dark chuckling coming from just outside the barrier. Darkrai snapped his head up while Zorua jumped out of the older Pokemon's lap. There was a Croagunk just a couple feet away, smirking at the two dark Pokemon. Moving his eyes around to check the area around him, Darkrai sighed in slight relief. There wasn't any other Pokemon anywhere nearby and all the humans were closer to the center of the island. And so, as to why this Croagunk was with them rather than with the humans slightly confused Darkrai.

"Cub, you stay inside of barrier. I'll take care of this Croagunk," Darkrai commanded.

Zorua frowned and began to follow Darkrai out of the barrier when he found himself thrown back. The cub flew back onto his back and whimpered softly. He whined in his throat as he felt something in his leg tense. He opened his eyes and stared at Darkrai in hurt. Darkrai just sighed and turned his head away.

The Croagunk smirked and started to make his way towards the cub when he came into contact with the barrier. Croagunk's eyes widened slightly before he smirked.

"I can see why the masters are so interested in you. Very impressive barrier," Croagunk commented, moving his hands on the barrier.

Darkrai scowled and said, "Well, if you're impressed by that, then you haven't seen anything yet."

Darkrai vanished in thin air suddenly. Zorua gasped in awe while Croagunk watched the area around him. The air around him was calm and there was complete silence. Then, right behind him, he felt a change in the wind. His head snapped up and he turned around in time to see Darkrai reappearing behind him. Croagunk pulled his arm back and unleashed a Poison Jab. Predicting this, Darkrai dodged to his left and continued to charge forward. Croagunk scowled and followed after Darkrai.

Smirking inwardly, Darkrai stared straight into Croagunk's eyes and silently let out his Hypnosis attack. Croagunk's eyes widened as he realized what Darkrai was planning but he found that he couldn't move his body fast enough. As the spell fell over him, his eyelids grew heaver and he felt even sleeper as the seconds rolled by.

Croagunk fell to the ground in a heap, snoring softly. Darkrai bent down and checked to make sure the poison Pokemon was truly asleep before signaling Zorua to come out of the barrier. The cub walked out of the barrier cautiously, limping slightly. Darkrai felt a sting of guilt in his heart but he pushed it away.

"Now what?" Zorua asked softly while looking down at Croagunk.

Darkrai sighed and looked up towards the sky. His eyes widened slightly at the fact that it was almost sunset. He looked out towards the ocean and could vaguely make out his sister's island.

"We have an hour before nightfall. In that hour, we need to come up with a plan on how to go about dealing with the Galactic goons on my island. But first, we need to make sure my sister is aware of the plan," Darkrai said before grabbing Zorua and teleporting to Cressilia's island.


	3. Chapter 3

Darkrai opened his eyes as he touched down on Full Moon Island. He looked around the clearing for his sister, only to be disappointed when he didn't see her. He loosened his grip on Zorua and the cub jumped to the ground before toppling over in dizziness. The fox started dry heaving in the grass while Darkrai tried to figure out where his sister could have gone. Unlike his island, Cresselia's home wasn't a large island. So that left very few places for her to go without leaving the island. He snapped his fingers went he remembered that there was a pier on Full Moon Island. Cresselia always seemed to have a fascination with the ocean.

"Let's go cub. We need to go find Cresselia," Darkrai said.

Zorua was still dry heaving on the ground when Darkrai walked up to him. The dark legendary Pokemon rolled his eyes but kneeled down. Darkrai rubbed the cub's back in comfort. Looking at Zorua's face in worry, Darkrai noticed the fox turning green in the face quickly. He cursed in his head and looked around the clearing before freezing in place. Right in front of him, the air looked like it was distorted. As if there was an invisible person standing right there. Or an invisible Pokemon.

"Cresselia, I know you're there," Darkrai said while still petting Zorua head.

He continued to stare in the same spot until the air around him started to vibrate. Slivers of color started to fill the space in front of him and spots of Cresselia's form started to appear. Darkrai stepped back somewhat while Zorua opened his eyes slightly. The cub gasped in awe as he saw Cresselia appear before them. Zorua looked up at Darkrai in slight confusion.

"Who's that?" the cub asked.

Darkrai smirked and stood up. "This is my sister, cub. She is the legendary Pokemon of the crescent moon, Cresselia," Darkrai bragged.

Cresselia scowled at Darkrai and remarked, "Shut the hell up Darkrai. You know that's a load of bull crap."

Darkrai rolled his eyes. "I don't understand why you get so offended by that introduction. Any regular Pokemon would be proud," he pointed out.

"Well, I'm not just any regular Pokemon, now am I?" she asked sarcastically.

Zorua watched as the two legendary Pokemon continued to fight. He smiled slightly before he started giggling. Darkrai and Cresselia stopped abruptly and looked down at Zorua in slight surprise. Darkrai smiled and leaned down to scratch the cub behind his ear while Cresselia stared at the cub curiously.

"Who is this Pokemon? I've never seen him around here before," Cresselia observed.

Zorua blushed and he ducked his head in embarrassment. Darkrai chuckled at the cubs antics and looked up at his sister.

"This is Zorua. He's from the Unova region," Darkrai said.

Cresselia observed Zorua closely before nodding her head. She turned around and signaled both dark Pokemon to follow her. Darkrai followed behind his sister and Zorua trailed behind. The cub looked around the forest and noticed that despite the fact that it was sunset, the entire island was still fairly lit. He also noticed that the trees seemed more healthy than the ones on Darkrai's island.

"Cub, hurry up. We don't have all night," Darkrai shouted.

Zorua snapped his head up and ran towards Darkrai and Cresselia. The two siblings were whispering to themselves, looking over at Zorua occasionally. And although the cub couldn't hear everything that the two were talking about, he could hear parts of the conversation. Some parts dealt with him while others dealt with Team Galactic.

"What are we going to do about the people on your island, Darkrai?" Zorua asked curiously.

Darkrai looked at the cub and remarked, "You mean, what am _I_ going to do about Team Galactic. _You_ are staying here with Cresselia, cub."

Zorua's eyes widened slightly before he shook his head in defiance. "No! I won't let you fight all those Pokemon by yourself!" the cub shouted.

Darkrai's eyes narrowed and he growled out, "You listen here pup. I said that you're not fighting, and that's _FINAL_!"

Zorua flinched back slightly before standing up tall. "NO! I REFUSE TO LOSE SOMEONE ELSE THAT I CARE ABOUT!" he shouted loudly before a bright light surrounded him.

Cresselia and Darkrai gasped. For a few seconds, Darkrai felt a shred of fear go through his body. Darkrai started to move towards the cub when the light suddenly dimmed. Cresselia noticed as her brother started to move closer and she held him back. Darkrai looked back at her in outrage but she just shook her head. Eventually, the light disappeared and Darkrai looked around for the cub. But instead Zorua, Darkrai comes face to face with himself.

"What the hell?" Darkrai asked incredulously.

Darkrai floated forward a little bit and stuck his hand out. His hand came in contact with the other dark Pokemon's arm and he flinched back. Even the feeling of his arm felt exactly the same. Darkrai looked back up to the cub's eyes, his head tilted in confusion.

Zorua blushed and bowed his head. Cresselia stared in awe and observed the cub closely. Zorua looked up shyly before floating towards Darkrai.

"I can….shape shift. That's my ability," Zorua confessed softly.

Darkrai and Cresselia's eyes were still wide with awe. Cresselia slowly moved towards Zorua in curiosity. She hovered around the cub, looking in amazement at the accuracy of Zorua's disguise.

"How are you able to accomplish such an effective disguise?" Cresselia asked.

Zorua shrugged his shoulders and looked back down. Darkrai chuckled at the cub's embarrassment while Cresselia smiled.

"It's quite weird to see a blush on my brother's face," Cresselia pointed out.

Darkrai groaned and briefly looked up to the sky. He cursed when he noticed that the sun was about to set in any minute. Making his mind up quick, he moved over to where Zorua was standing.

"Fine cub. You can come, _but_ you listen to what I say. Understand?" Darkrai asked sternly.

Zorua nodded his head eagerly and grabbed Darkrai's arm tightly. Darkrai looked back to his sister and nodded his head.

"If we don't send word about what happened on the island by sunrise, teleport over to Mt. Coronet and warn Dialga and Palkia. I don't want anything to happen to you," Darkrai commanded.

Cresselia nodded sadly and waved the two dark Pokemon off. Darkrai looked back at Zorua and took in a deep breath before teleporting them back to New Moon Island. Zorua closed his eyes and leaned his head on Darkrai's shoulder.

The two came to a shuddering stop on the ground. There wasn't any other sound anywhere nearby except for the sound of their breaths. That already tipped Darkrai onto high alert. He let out a breath and looked down at the cub.

"Why is it so quiet?" Zorua asked softly.

Darkrai looked around and remarked, "I'm not sure cub. But something tells me that it's not good."

Darkrai stood up slowly and signaled the cub to the same. Zorua looked around and transformed back before standing up. Darkrai looked up towards the sky and smirked inwardly as he noticed that the sun had set and the moon had risen. Almost as soon as he made that observation, a rush of power flooded through his body. Darkrai let out a shuddering breath and chuckled darkly.

"Now it's time to get down to business," Darkrai said while looking around the forest.

"I highly agree with that statement, Darkrai."

Zorua and Darkrai looked around the forest, looking for who just spoke. Out from the shadows, Mars and Juniper came out followed by their grunts. Darkrai scowled while Zorua stepped back. Mars smirked while Juniper kept a straight face. The grunts started to form a circle around the two dark Pokemon, all of them letting out a few of the Pokemon that they controlled.

Darkrai scowled and moved so that Zorua was in his line of sight. "Cub, what ever you do, do not leave my sight. Understood?"

Zorua nodded and glared at the Galactic members. Mars moved forward, her Purugly following behind menacingly. Lifting her chin up high, Mars spread her arms out towards Darkrai.

"Darkrai, so we finally meet. I have a lovely proposition for you-"

Mars was blown back into the forest suddenly. Zorua looked up at Darkrai, who had his arm outstretched. An angry expression was on his face and smoke was rising from the area around them.

"D-Darkrai, did you just…?" the cub asked incredulously.

"She was becoming a nuisance," Darkrai responded.

Zorua looked back up to see Mars stumbling back into the clearing. Her face is a bright red and she was breathing hard.

"You….will….PAY FOR THAT!" Mars shouted out.

Darkrai rolled his eyes. "Of course I will, you pathetic human. Now leave my island before I make you."

Mars growled loudly and started to make her way over to Darkrai when Jupiter held her back. "Wait a minute Mars," she said seriously.

Mars looked at Jupiter as if she wanted to say something but Jupiter stopped her. Jupiter pulled Mars down so that she could whisper in her ear. Jupiter pointed over to Zorua and whispered something quickly. Mars' eyes grew wide before a large smirk came to her face.

The two Galactic commanders separated and looked directly at Zorua. A shiver went through the cub's body.

"Grunts! Attack the little Pokemon!" Mars shouted out.

Darkrai's eyes grew wide in surprise before he looked around in horror. All the Pokemon surrounding the two dark Pokemon consisted mostly of fighting types. And for the little cub, that didn't bode well.

Without sparing any thought in the matter, Darkrai constructed a large force field around himself and the cub. Zorua gasped at the amount of energy that Darkrai was pouring into the shield. With the amount of power it took to produce such a shield, Darkrai would be drained of his power well after five minutes, if not sooner.

"Darkrai! I-if you continue to do that-"

Zorua was cut off when a large Hyper Beam collided with the barrier. The area around the two dark Pokemon shook dangerously and the barrier shuddered. Zorua watched helplessly as Darkrai cringed as his power fluctuated but held steady after a few moments. The Pokemon surrounding Darkrai and Zorua suddenly started their barrage of attacks. With every attack that stuck the shield, the more power that was being absorbed from Darkrai by the force field.

"Attack harder! All fighting Pokemon attack NOW!" Jupiter commanded.

All of the grunts released their Croagunks and Darkrai scowled. "Cub, I'm going to need some help-"

Out of the corner of his eye, Zorua saw Jupiter's Toxicroak coming out from a Pokeball. The cub watched as the poison-fighting Pokemon charged up its Brick Break attack. Toxicroak looked right at the cub and smirked widely before charging. Zorua found that he couldn't yell out in time to Darkrai and watched with wide eyes as Toxicroak came closer. Its broke through the barrier, shattering it into shards. Darkrai and Zorua was blasted back by the impact.

Darkrai was launched into the forest brush while Zorua slid to a stop in front of a few bushes. The cub had his eyes shut during the impact and hissed as he felt his hind leg come down hard on the ground. Opening his eyes, Zorua looked over to where Darkrai flew off to. The cub choked on his breath as he saw the condition of the legendary Pokemon. Cuts and bruises lined his body and they were quickly beocming blue and purple. Blood was starting to flow out of Darkrai's body. The cub turned his head away from the gruesome sight.

"NOW ATTACK THE BABY!" Mars shouted earnestly.

Zorua lifted his head up in time to see a crowd of Pokemon charging towards him with Toxicroak and Purugly at the head of the group. His eyes widened before he dipped his head in defeat. The Pokemon in front of him laughed evilly and started to charge at him. He shut his eyes tightly, preparing for the series of blows.

"Not on my watch."

Zorua's head snapped up at the sudden statement. He heard the sound of Darkrai teleporting and looked up. Standing right in front of him was Darkrai. The legendary Pokemon was in a ragged condition. His arm was twisted in an awkward position and blood was covering his entire body. It looked as if he could barely stand on his own two feet.

"Darkrai? What are you doing?" Zorua asked incredulously.

Darkrai looked back briefly before facing forward again. "I'm protecting you, brat. I can't let anything happen to my cub," Darkrai joked around.

Zorua felt tears come to his eyes and he shook his head. "No! You can't do this. You'll be killed!"

"Well then, I guess that's going to have to happen then," Darkrai confessed.

Zorua couldn't hold in his sobs and continued to shout out Darkrai's name. The crowd of Pokemon tried to move around Darkrai to get to Zorua, but the legendary Pokemon wouldn't let them. Unknown to Zorua and the other Pokemon, Darkai erected a small barrier around the cub that would last for a while. Finally, the Pokemon gave up on getting past Darkrai and focused their attention on ragged dark Pokemon.

Darkrai grunted as the first of several blows came to his body. He felt punches, slaps, kicks, and blasts assault his body. At one point, Toxicroak even grabbed his throat and started to choke him to death. Unable to take abuse anymore, Darkrai fell to his knees in pain. However, the other Pokemon continued to attack him, taking great pleasure in drawing blood. Zorua bowed his head, unable to watch as Darkrai was practically torn apart. The sounds of Darkrai being attacked on all sides could be heard though and the cub cringed at every scream and groan that escaped.

This continued for what seemed like hours for the cub until one last staggering scream filled the clearing. Zorua raised his head from where he had it bowed and froze. As if it were in slow motion, the cub watched as Darkrai collapsed onto the ground in a pool of his blood. No sound seemed to enter the cub's mind except for the dull thud of Darkrai's body on the ground.

Zorua let out a shuddering breath before shaking his head slowly. "No…..NOOO!"

The cub ran over to Darkrai and kneeled beside him. Zorua started to examine Darkrai's body, checking to see if the other dark Pokemon was still alive. The cub felt his heart stop as he felt no pulse. He checked Darkrai's pupils and cried. The light in Darkrai's eyes was dimming fast.

Zorua heard the sound of laughter behind him and he looked over. Mars and Jupiter were smirking at the cub and the grunts were laughing sadistically. Zorua scowled and stood up from the pool of blood. His eyes narrowed and he stepped forward a couple of steps.

"You…all….will…_PAY_!" Zorua growled out.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm going dedicate this short author's note for a thank you. This person has reviewed that last three or two chapters and I'm happy about that. (P.S. Reviews make me happy and encourage me to work harder and faster. But not too fast.)**

**Thank you StormRaven333 for reviewing the past few chapters. It makes me happy that you're reviewing my chapters. :D **

**For anyone else who decides to review as well, please do. And thank you to everyone who is reading this story. I hope you enjoy the last few chapters left of this story. **

Mars laughed outright when she heard Zorua growling at her. She tipped her head up with a cocky attitude and smirked.

"Isn't that cute Jupiter? The little baby wants to fight against _us_," Mars said.

The grunts around her laughed in response. Mars signaled the grunts to be silent. She walked towards the cub and kneeled down. Her hand moved down to pet the cub but Zorua ducked out of the way. Mars just chuckled and trailed her hand over the cub's head. This time though, Zorua bit her hand harshly.

Mars recoiled back in pain. She hissed in annoyance and glared down at Zorua.

"I was going to go easy on you, but now I'm going to give you the same treatment as your friend! Grunts, show this cub what happens to anyone who goes against Team Galactic!" Mars commanded loudly.

Zorua braced himself, glaring at all the Pokemon that surrounded him. He took in a deep breath and let it go slowly. It looked as though the grunts had decided to let their Croagunks and Toxicroaks take care of the job. And unfortunately, it looked as though there were about twenty of each of them. With so many of them, it would be hard to blend in. Zorua's eyes grew wide with realization. A light bulb went off in Zorua's head. He knew it was tricky to reveal his ability in front of so many people, but it was his only option.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zorua saw the first Croagunk make its move towards him, causing all the others to follow the first one's lead. Seeing this as his moment, Zorua jumped straight into the crowd of Pokemon attacking him. And due to his small size, he slipped in-between the small gaps between all the Pokemon.

Quickly, Zorua summoned a cloud of smoke around all the Pokemon and everyone froze in shock. Shouts of surprise and shock could be heard from the outside the smoke. Mars gritted her teeth in anger while Jupiter narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Jupiter pulled out her other Pokeball and released her Golbat. "Blow away the smoke, NOW!" Jupiter commanded.

Golbat flapped its wings quickly, easily blowing away the smoke. The area cleared up and Mars started to smirk again.

"Now, show that baby Pokemon who's boss!" Mars shouted sadistically.

The Croagunks and Toxicroaks looked around, ready to torture the cub. However, as they all continued to look around, they couldn't seem to find the cub at all. It was as if he had disappeared. Jupiter's eyes widened slightly while Mars huffed in annoyance.

"What the hell is the problem? Can't you stupid Pokemon find one, lousy baby?" Mars screamed out.

Jupiter looked at all the Pokemon and narrowed her eyes. She could tell that something was off but she couldn't figure out what. Even though the cub was small in stature, it didn't mean that he could hid easily. The red markings on its body would easily give away its position after a while. She noticed her Toxicroak coming towards her and her eyes narrowed. She noticed that her Toxicroak eyes were a bit glazed over than usual. Looking closer, she saw that her Toxicroak's eyes weren't pitch black like they always were, but a lightning blue.

Jupiter's eyes widened considerably.

"Everyone, attack that Pokemon! That's not a Toxicroak!" Jupiter shouted.

All the grunts looked at her weirdly while Mars stared at her in shock. "What are you going on about, Jupiter? Did you get knocked on the head or something?" Mars asked her incredulously.

Jupiter turned to Mars in anger and pointed towards the Toxicroak. "This is NOT a Toxicroak! That baby Pokemon has the ability to transform!" Jupiter shouted.

Mars stared at Jupiter in surprise before glaring at the other women. "Then prove it," She said smartly.

Jupiter growled and was barely able to stop herself from slapping Mars. "_Fine_. All of our Pokemon should be able to smell out the cub. It does have a different scent than the others." Jupiter reasoned.

Mars looked at the Pokemon and signaled them to smell the Toxicroak in question. However, before they were able to get close, the Toxicroak turned and let loose a Flamethrower. The poison-fighting Pokemon recoiled back in slight fear and surprise.

The Toxicroak ceased his attack and let out a small smirk. "Is that all you got?"

The Toxicroaks and Croagunks gasped in surprise. Almost at once, they all smelled the cub's pheromones. Zorua glared at all of the Pokemon in front of him before chuckling darkly. Concentrating his power, Zorua started charging up his most powerful move guaranteed to easily knock out every Pokemon in the clearing.

Before he could start unleashing his attack though, a sudden attack to the back of his head sent him falling to the ground. He clutched his head in pain. He felt his limbs start to move and he groaned in pain. This was the one thing that Zorua hated about his transformation ability. It would only last up until he was attacked. Then for some reason, the illusion would dissipate.

Looking up in fear, Zorua cringed back as the crowd of Pokemon surrounded him. One particular Toxicroak, which probably was Jupiter's, smirked at him in glee. The cub felt his stomach tighten.

Mars walked up to where all the Pokemon were at. She looked down at the cub in disgust and said "You've caused me a lot of trouble, you stupid Pokemon. Now it's time to send you to where you belong, crushed under my foot!"

Mars lifted her foot and it held there for several seconds overtop of Zorua's head. The cub could feel tears start to come to his eyes and he bowed his head in defeat. Mars laughed in victory and brought her foot down.

A sudden pulsing vibrated throughout the clearing, causing Mars to fall. Everyone else in the clearing stumbled but remained standing. Zorua watched with wide eyes as the pulsing around everyone grew louder and larger. But then, just as fast as it started, it stopped.

Complete silence sounded through the forest. Zorua looked around anxiously. His heart was thumping loudly, almost in time with the pulsing that had just passed through the forest.

Almost as soon as he thought that, his heart gave one last thump before it picked up rapidly. Zorua's eyes widened as his breath picked up too. He gazed around before bowing his head. The forest around him was spinning uncontrollably. He could feel his stomach starting to flop and his head felt too big for his body.

Lifting his head up one last time, Zorua looked up to the sky. His eyes gazed blankly at the full moon before they widened. A pulsing started to move its way through his body. Looking down at his body in fear of what was happening, Zorua whimpered as he felt his body start to float in mid-air. He was being lifted towards the moon and the closer he got, the faster the pulsing beat in his chest.

Once he stopped rising, Zorua cautiously opened his eyes. He looked down in surprise before looking back up to the sky. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the moon before they widened. A flash of light came from him and filled the sky. The grunts and commanders on the ground shielded their eyes while the Pokemon howled.

Zorua gasped as he felt his body start to grow rapidly. His legs and arms lengthened out and his snout grew wider and longer. He looked down one last time at Team Galactic before shouting towards the sky.

An orb of light surrounded Zorua, nearly blinding everyone in the clearing. The sound of howling could be heard throughout the clearing and all of the Team Galactic members held their ears in pain.

Jupiter, still keeping her eyes closed, shouted out, "Toxicroak! Attack the cub!"

Toxicroak bent its knees before shooting towards the cub. Its eyes were shut closed as it came closer to the blinding light, but it didn't need to see since it was already in range. Pulling its arms back, Toxicroak charged up with energy for a Poison Jab. It shot its arm out, aiming right for where the cub's head was. However a barrier erected itself in-between Zorua and Toxicroak, sending the poison-fighting Pokemon flying back to the ground.

The orb shuddered before it shrunk. It continued to downsized until it was the size to hold a medium size Pokemon. Then, the orb exploded. A resounding noise rang through the clearing. The cub stayed in mid-air for a few seconds before he fell to the ground. He landed a few feet away from where Darkrai was laying unconscious.

Mars slowly opened her eyes and looked over to the cub, only to have her eyes widen. In front of her wasn't the same Pokemon she was dealing with before. Instead, it was bigger. Much bigger.

The cub opened its eyes slowly and observed the area around him. He noticed that he was no longer in the air. Getting up slowly, the cub looked over to Mars and Jupiter and scowled. He stood up and glared openly at the two. He noticed that the two seemed to be in shock and his eyes narrowed. His snout twitched as he picked up on the other scents of the Pokemon around him. Mostly, he smelt fear and nervousness.

The cub looked around in the clearing in confusion before noticing on fact. He was looking at everyone in the clearing at eye-level. His eyes widened before looking down in surprise.

"I've…I've evolved?" the cub asked in surprise.

He noticed that he was now a Zoroark. Looking down at his body in awe, the cub found that he liked the change. His body had grown nearly by four times and he no longer had to walk on all fours. Instead, he could walk on two legs and he found it to be much more convenient. His strength also seemed to have increased drastically; he could practically feel the power flowing through his veins.

The cub felt a smile come to his face. He had thought that everything he was feeling in the orb was just an illusion. But now that he knew that he had evolved, he knew that he had a better chance against all the Pokemon in the clearing. Smirking, the cub looked up with a gleam in his eyes.

"Now, it's time for my revenge," Zoroark growled out.

Zoroark widened his stance and prepared himself to attack. He raised his arm towards the sky and started to send his energy into a compressed ball. A dark orb started to float overhead of the entire clearing and all the Team Galactic members went into a frenzy. The ground started to rumble slightly and specks of dirt starting rising into the air.

Mars gritted her teeth and pointed towards Zoroark. "I don't care if the baby evolved or not! Attack him!"

However, all of Team Galactic's Pokemon were frozen in fear as well as the grunts. Mars growled in annoyance. Zoroark locked gazes with her and smirked. Mars's face grew red in anger.

"DARK VOID!" Zoroark shouted.

His hand came down, leading the dark energy right towards Team Galactic. The grunts and their Pokemon took this as their cue to leave now. They were tearing their way through the forest, but most of them couldn't get away. The blast came crashing down, sending them flying off of the island. Mars and Jupiter were ricocheted into the sea while Zoroark stood with a smirk on his face.

A cloud of smoke settled over the island, especially over the clearing. But despite that, Zoroark found that he could see just fine. He looked around the clearing to make sure that none of the Galactic members were still in the area. Once he deemed the area safe enough, he looked around for Darkrai.

His eyes caught a heap of black and red laying on the ground. He ran over to Darkrai and fell to his knees. Leaning down, he checked Darkrai's vitals again, hoping that the other had possibly healed somewhat. But he was disappointed to find that Darkrai hadn't gotten better at all. In fact, Darkrai seemed to have gotten worse. The dark legendary's breath was coming too fast and his eyes were glazed over.

Zoroark swallowed his sobs and he looked up towards the sky. "CRESSELIA!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

He heard his voice echoing and he held his breath. As soon as the echoes stopped, a distortion happened in the air in front of him. A portal opened and Cresselia slipped through. She took one glance at Darkrai before her eyes widened in shock. She moved down to her brother immediately and started to heal his wounds as best as she could.

Zoroark stood in the background and watched helplessly as Cresselia continued to heal Darkrai silently. The tension hanging around the clearing was evident. Zoroark felt tears come to his eyes and he bowed his head. He couldn't stop himself from crying. It was all his fault that Darkrai was like this. If he had just listened to the other when he told him to stay on Full Moon Island, than Darkrai probably wouldn't be in this situation.

The sound of a cough broke Zoroark from his stupor and he looked up. Cresselia was glaring openly at him and the cub bowed his head. The psychic legendary moved towards him and forced the cub to look into her eyes. The cub looked up with wet eyes.

He knew that she knew what he was thinking. She was a psychic Pokemon after all, so it didn't surprise him that she could read minds. And judging by the angry expression on her face, she didn't like accusations going on in Zoroark's head.

Cresselia moved forward until her face was a few centimeters away from Zoroark's.

"Don't you dare blame yourself for this. I hope you aren't so selfish as to forget that Darkrai _willingly_ sacrificed himself to make sure you're okay. So, if you go on one more self-pity ride in the deep recesses of your mind, I will give you a reason to feel sorry for yourself," Cresselia growled out.

Zoroark's eyes widened before they narrowed in outrage. "So you're saying I can't _mourn_ Darkrai? I just have to suck it up and move on with my life?" Zoroark asked incredulously.

Cresselia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm not saying that cub. I understand that you are upset about Darkrai. I am as well since he is my brother. But what you are doing is blaming yourself for something that was out of your control."

Zoroark lowered his gaze to the ground and bit his lip. Even though Cresselia said that, he couldn't help feeling guilty about what happened the other dark Pokemon. He sighed and nodded his head in agreement. And while both of them knew that he would continue to blame himself for this moment despite Cresselia's arguments, he was taking a step in the right direction by agreeing.

Cresselia moved back over to Darkrai before looking over her shoulder "Besides, who said you had to mourn someone who isn't dead?"

Zoroark's eyes widened before he looked at Darkrai quickly. Bruises still littered the dark Pokemon's body but he was breathing normally now. His eyes were also open and staring straight at the cub. The cub blushed and lowered his gaze to his feet. A chuckle could be heard from Darkrai.

"So, I guess you're no longer a cub, huh?" Darkrai wheezed out.

Zoroark laughed and shook his head in disagreement. "I'll always be your cub," he whispered.

Darkrai smiled gently before closing his eyes. He slumped in exhaustion and fell asleep. Zoroark bent down and trailed his hand to Darkrai's heart before looking up at Cresselia. The cub was smiling in relief.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," he said graciously.

Cresselia shook her head. "Don't thank me. I didn't do much. I just healed his life threatening wounds. But, I ran into a problem," she said sadly.

"What? What's wrong?" Zoroark asked quickly.

Cresselia sighed and looked down at her brother. "He won't die, if that's what you're worried about. I fear that his injuries were much worse than I imagined that they would be. He may be permanently disabled for the rest of his life."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is the last chapter to Darkness Falling. I apologize if it seems like I rushed this story towards the end.**

**I have to say, looking back on Darkness Falling, I had a different perspective on how the story would turn out. But I'm happy with the end product anyway. There are some things I would like to change, but most of the things in the story are either exactly how I imaged it or better. **

**For those of you who follow my stories or have followed this story, thank you. It makes me happy to know that people out there enjoy my stories and are willing to read more. Thank you again and enjoy the last chapter of Darkness Falling.**

_Epilogue_

"That's good cub! But put more power behind your attack," Darkrai commanded.

Zoroark nodded his head in understanding and concentrated his attack. He closed his eyes to relax his body. The cub could feel his power pulsing in his body and it made him feel more alive.

Snapping his eyes open, Zoroark unleashed his Dark Void attack, demolishing the boulder in front of him to pieces. He stayed still for a few seconds before he heard Darkrai humming in approval. Feeling a sense of pride go through him, Zoroark relaxed his stance. The cub looked back at Darkrai and smiled.

Darkrai was resting against a tree and he was smiling back at the cub. He was immensely proud of the cub. He had grown in the past few months and it made Darkrai happy to know that the cub wasn't letting the tragedy get to his head as much as he used to.

Darkrai had found out soon after Cresselia healed him that the damage done to him by Team Galactic was disastrous. His heart, lungs, and his right arm had bared the brute of the injuries. His heart had become much more fragile, as did his lungs. He no longer could do stressful activities, such as battling and training. He also had to stay on his island for the rest of his life- or until Cresselia found a way to reverse the damage done to him. This was because the risk of being captured, either by trainers or Team Galactic, was still high.

Even his powers were limited nowadays. His attacks were severely weakened due to his state and he could barely summon his magic outside of his body without becoming out of breath. And while this did upset Darkrai at first, after a while, he learned how to deal with his disability.

"Do you need anything Darkrai?" Zoroark asked innocently.

Darkrai looked up at the cub and chuckled. It still amazed him how innocent the cub could be even after he saw what happened to him in the clearing.

"_But perhaps that's a good thing,"_ Darkrai thought to himself.

Darkrai shook his head and signaled Zoroark to sit next to him. The cub tilted his head to the side in confusion before sitting next to Darkrai. The two of them looked out to the ocean, a peaceful atmosphere settling around them.

The cub leaned his head on Darkrai's shoulder, being mindful of the large scar located just a few centimeters away from where he laid his head. The cub purred as he felt a hand come to his large mane. Fingers combed through the fur and Zoroark hummed in content. His eyes started to close shut in peace as he listened to the ocean.

* * *

><p>The sound of a boat docking brought both Pokemon out of their peaceful slumber. Zoroark looked around and lifted his ears up, listening for any sounds while Darkrai slumped against the tree. It was times like this when he felt useless and he hated it.<p>

The cub's ears twitched as they picked up on the sound of footsteps walking towards the clearing. Zoroark looked down at Darkrai.

"There a two people walking towards the clearing. What do you want to do?" Zoroark inquired.

Darkrai sighed and closed his eyes. He knew it was risky to go and evaluate the situation completely. There was a high chance that Team Galactic could have come back after months of training and regrouping. On the other hand, it could also be trainers looking to capture him. And if they were lucky, it could just be a Pokemon professor wishing to get more information on legendary Pokemon and all that.

But he knew that he couldn't let humans roam around his island. That would just lead to more problems that he was willing to deal with.

Looking up at Zoroark, Darkrai said, "Take me to the clearing."

Zoroark looked down at Darkrai in worry but followed his command. Leaning down, the cub lifted the other dark Pokemon with little difficulty. Then, as fast as he could, he started running towards the clearing.

They reached the center of the island in a few seconds. In the clearing, Zoroark and Darkrai saw two trainers. Both the cub and Darkrai sighed in relief. They were glad it wasn't Team Galactic. Although they knew that Zoroark was more than capable of handling battles, it still would be risky for the cub to go against an entire evil organization.

Zoroark softly laid Darkrai behind some bushes and he kneeled down next to him. They both peeked from behind the bushes and watched the two trainers closely. One of the trainers was a boy while the other was a girl. The boy had pitch black hair with a bright red hat on top. He carried himself in a confident manner and had a Chimchar sitting on his shoulder. Next to him, the girl was looking around curiously. She had blue hair with a white and pink hat on her head. Her Piplup was standing next to her and flapping its arms up and down rapidly.

"Are you sure there's a legendary Pokemon here Lucas? I don't see anything here," the girl said softly.

"Don't worry Dawn. Professor Rowan told me that Darkrai often resides here. If he's not here now, we can just come back later," Lucas remarked.

Zoroark looked down at Darkrai in surprise, silently asking what they should do. The dark legendary observed the two trainers for a few seconds longer before he made his decision.

"Take me to the clearing," Darkrai whispered out.

Zoroark's eyes widened in shock before he nodded. He knew that Darkrai wanted to overcome this obstacle and as much as the cub hated it, he knew it was for the best.

Making sure that Darkrai was prepared for what he was getting into, Zoroark picked him up and slowly started walking into the clearing. As soon as he stood up from the bushes, Lucas and Dawn turned towards them in shock. The cub watched the two trainers closely as he slowly stopped in front of them. He kneeled down and lowered Darkrai to the ground softly.

He could hear the girl gasping in shock while the boy sucked in a sharp breath. The cub knew that Darkrai's appearance wasn't as it used to be. His face and chest were scarred beyond belief while his right arm was still mangled. The only thing that still convinced Zoroark that Darkrai was indeed alive was the fact that the legendary's eyes were shining in determination.

"What….what happened to him?" Lucas asked softly.

Zoroark lifted his head towards the trainer and sighed. He knew the boy wouldn't understand what he had to say, but he did know that Darkrai had the ability to talk to humans. Leaning down, Zoroark whispered his wishes to Darkrai. The dark legendary looked up at him in surprise before smiling gently.

"Team Galactic came to my island months ago and attacked me," Darkrai whispered out.

Dawn gasped in shock while Zoroark closed his eyes. The cub knew that Darkrai hated to talk about the moment that happened months ago. He also felt resentment and guilt. Resentment at Team Galactic for hurting his only friend, and guilt for nearly dragging Darkrai into the situation he was in now. But he shook his head to rid of those thoughts. He knew it wasn't his fault- somewhat- that Darkrai got hurt.

"Team Galactic? But I thought we finished them off at Mt. Coronet!" Dawn exclaimed.

Zoroark's head tilted slightly before he looked over to Darkrai. The other just waved him off and continued to talk to the humans. The cub pretty much blocked out the rest of the conversation, choosing to observe the Chimchar and Piplup. The two looked immensely happy and the cub felt a flash of sadness go through him. He knew that he could have had that kind of future, traveling around the world and battling new Pokemon. It was a fleeting feeling he felt some days while he trained with Darkrai. But he knew that had he gone through that, he probably never would have met Darkrai. And he wouldn't change that fact for anything in the world.

"Maybe we should take him to Professor Rowan. He would probably know what to do," Dawn suggested.

Zoroark's head snapped up before he growled. He moved in front of Darkrai and crouched down in defense. These trainers were planning on taking away his happiness and that wasn't happening. He wouldn't let anyone near Darkrai, even if it killed him.

Dawn and Lucas looked at Zoroark in shock before Lucas frowned in distaste. "Come on boy. We just want to help your friend. Don't you want that?" he asked softly.

The cub stilled and thought for a second. He did want to help Darkrai, Arceus knows he did. But he also didn't want to make a choice on how Darkrai should live his life.

On one hand, the human could possibly help Darkrai, maybe even restoring him to his former glory before the attack. But on the other hand, it was humans that put Darkrai in this position in the first place and the cub was damned if he would easily let something like that happen again under his watch.

Zoroark slowly shook his head, glancing down at Darkrai out of the corner of his eye. He felt a rush of relief go through him as he took in Darkrai's proud expression. Confident in himself now, Zoroark glared at the two trainers and growled menacingly.

Dawn squeaked in fear while Lucas sighed. "I guess he doesn't want our help. Come on Dawn," Lucas said sadly while walking away.

Dawn peered back that the two dark Pokemon before running after Lucas. The cub watched the two walk off and sighed in exhaustion. He looked down at Darkrai and sat down next to him.

"I guess that you're happy with my choice," Zoroark said timidly.

Darkrai smiled and nodded his head. "Yes. I would prefer to gain my independence without the help of humans," he said.

Zoroark nodded his head and looked over to the area where the two trainers had just left. "Do you think that they'll be back?" Zoroark asked in slight worry.

Darkrai chuckled and said, "No. They are trainers, after all. They don't have the time to baby-sit an old Pokemon and his cub."

Zoroark pouted at Darkrai. "After all this time, you still think of me as a cub?"

"Of course. When you get to be my age, then I'll stop calling you cub," Darkrai teased.

Zoroark shook his head in amusement before he started laughing. Darkrai chuckled right beside him, leaning over on the cub's shoulder for support. The two of them continued to laugh and tease each other as the sun set over New Moon island.

**A/N: And that is the end. I really rushed through this epilogue, so I apologize if it isn't up to par with my last few chapters. But I'm happy over all with how the story came out as a whole. **

**The reason that I had Lucas and Dawn leave so quickly is because I can't imagine them to be the types of people to assert themselves on two Pokemon that want to be left alone (I'm basing this on the games, not the TV show). Also, I got lazy towards the end, if you couldn't tell already. **

**But despite that fact, thank you for reading Darkness Falling. I hope you enjoyed the story. **


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